Though weather this summer and fall wasn’t as bad as last year, we’ve still had our share of thin turf and fall events are taking their toll on the cool-season grasses. The perennial cause is the naturally shallow rooting of Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass at the same time that football and soccer seasons get into full swing in August and September. Additionally, the tremendous heat and humidity during July increased disease pressure and thinned or weakened perennial ryegrass in most sports fields. A less obvious cause is the heat and drought of August and September 2005. Many damaged and thinned turfs were heavily overseeded with perennial ryegrass last fall and/or invaded by annual bluegrass during the extremely moderate winter. Both of these species are extremely sensitive to heat and diseases, further adding to the thinning and damage of sports fields this fall. Lastly, annual bluegrass started germinating in mid-August this year because of the wet weather, filling in voids in the turf. Unfortunately, the shallow-rooted annual bluegrass does not hold up well to sports traffic.
There’s still time to help the field improve for next year and here’s what to do now:
Send corrections, suggestions, and comments to biehlj@purdue.edu